Thanks to new advancements in the technology of sending important news alerts to a person's cellphone or email, Calhoun County will move to a new emergency notification system called Rave Alerts.  

Rave Alerts is a free service that allows individuals to opt-in to notifications sent from local authorities on potentially hazardous situations involving weather, traffic, and other emergencies. The Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management Division and Consolidated Dispatch will begin using the new service on August 1st. Residents can receive alerts via phone, text, or email based on preferences chosen by the user. Rave Alerts was chosen because of the ability to target alerts to a specific geographic area. The system is also connected to the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System, which allows these agencies to send emergency notifications directly to phones if necessary. Additionally, other agencies from within Calhoun County will soon be able to work with Dispatch to use this service for their own communications, as well. 

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There are three options for signing up:

  • Text CALHOUN to 67283 for emergency notifications.
  • or CCTRAFFIC to 67283 for traffic alerts.
  • Create a profile on Smart911 and download the app.

The best way to manage the notification someone receives is by creating a profile on Smart911 and downloading the Smart911 app. The app is owned by the same company as Rave Alerts. On the Smart911 profile, users can choose how they want to receive notifications (voice, text, and/or email) and which notifications to receive (emergency, weather, and/or traffic alerts).  The app can also be downloaded on Google Play or the Apple Store 

Calhoun County Sheriff Steve Hinkley feels that, 

Our emergency response functions in Calhoun County are coordinated to be able to best serve our community in case disaster strikes. This is the service our emergency professionals will use for critical communication with the public. Rave Alerts provides individuals with the information needed to stay safe or take precautions during hazardous or emergency situations.   

In addition to managing a user's emergency notifications, Smart911 allows users to create a Safety Profile, for their household, that can include any information they may want dispatch and first responders to have in the event of an emergency. With a Smart911 profile, the user's information will immediately display on the dispatcher’s screen, which saves critical seconds and even minutes in response to an emergency. 

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